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All Together Now! town hall forum heads to Windsor, January 20

Open forum to discuss the impact of growing income inequality on communities, families and workers and what we can do about it.

Ottawa (09 Jan. 2014) – Over the last year, the spotlight has been the issue of growing income inequality across the country and around the world. An issue once ignored by mainstream media and politicians, 2013 saw it occupy considerable air time.

NUPGE working with the broader labour movement in Ontario to expand the fight on income inequality

In January 2013, the National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) as part of our ongoing campaign All Together Now! partnered with several Ontario unions to bring the issue closer to home to our members. Town hall forums were held n communities across the province - Sudbury, Kingston and Hamilton - to engage members in an open discussion about the issue of growing inequality but also to dig deeper at the root causes of the problem. But these discussions didn't just talk about the problem, they focused on working together toward solutions and creating strategies to turn the debate to address the issue more concretely.

Next town hall to be held in Windsor, January 20

The next town hall forum is scheduled for January 20 at the Caboto Club, 2175 Parent Avenue in Windsor, Ontario. The panel discussion will be moderated by Asha Tomlinson, the local host for CBC News Windsor and feature James Clancy, NUPGE National President and Marion Overholt, executive director of the Legal Assistance of Windsor.

Members from several unions - Canadian Media Guild, Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario, Ontario Nurses Association, Ontario Professional Fire Fighters Association, Ontario Public Service Employees Union, Society of Energy Professionals and NUPGE - will join the public in an interactive discussion about the problems and solutions of the income divide.

Income inequality is not inevitable, but it is deliberate

"It's important people understand that certain conditions have been put in place to allow for income inequality to grow. An unfair tax system, attacks on labour rights, the lack of good jobs and the absense of a modern industrial strategy are all things that have contributed to creating the perfect storm that has allowed income inequality to fester.

"We are thrilled to be heading to Windsor for this next forum," said Clancy. "Given the struggles this broader community has faced over the last few years with plant and factory closures, we know they are intimately aware of the issue of income inequality. We want to hear about how it is affecting them, their families, their community but more importantly, we want to talk about how together we can rebuild our economy and our country, in a way that puts people, not corporations, first."

Doors open at 5:30 p.m., with a light dinner being served at 6 p.m. The discussion forum will begin at 7 p.m.

The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 340,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE